Chlune’s Journey

Chlune’s Life-Changing Journey from Haiti to Boston

	Suzan and John Driscoll at Massachusetts Hospital School with Chlune on March 30, 2015.
Related Items: See More Photos of Chlune Join Us on a Mission Trip

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (April 2, 2015) As millions worldwide prepare for what is considered by many the holiest day of the year, this Easter Sunday will be even more special for one Boston-area family and an 8-year-old Haitian girl who captured their hearts.

Chlune Dorviler‘s life has been forever transformed by the kindness of a loving couple. John and Suzan Driscoll are preparing a special kind of hospitality for a loving little girl whom they affectionately refer to as their “little angel.”

In 2013, longtime Food For The Poor supporter John Driscoll took his first mission trip to Haiti with the charity. On his second trip to the Caribbean nation in April 2014, this time with his wife Suzan at his side, he visited the Little Children of Jesus orphanage. While there, they caught sight of a jovial little girl chatting and laughing with Food For The Poor-Haiti Missions & Travel Officer Huguette Guerre, who would later play a vital role in Chlune’s journey.

Chlune was born in Torbeck, Les Cayes, Haiti, in 2006. She has hydrocephaly, which is the buildup of excess fluid in the brain. By the time Chlune was 5, the weight of her head was approximately 25 pounds. Three years ago, after it was determined by her family they could not provide for her care, she was sent to live at the Little Children of Jesus orphanage near Port-au-Prince, which is supported by Food For The Poor.

Suzan, a retired educator, was moved by what she saw and told her husband they had to help this child with the magnetic personality to get the medical care she desperately needed.

“My wife has worked with special needs children her whole life, setting a wonderful example for our family,” said John. “God has been so good to me and my family. I feel it’s my obligation to help others to achieve a better quality of life.” 

After eight months of planning, an international patient placement operation was set in motion. With the support of doctors at Boston Children’s Hospital, who had agreed to treat her, Chlune arrived in Massachusetts from Haiti, on Dec. 8, 2014 with her father, Vanel Dorviler, and Madame Guerre to serve as their interpreter.

The John and Suzan Driscoll Family Foundation, through Food For The Poor, paid for Chlune’s travel and some of the medical expenses, along with the travel and room and board of Chlune’s father. Sadly, three days after her arrival, Chlune began having seizures and was placed in a medically induced coma. That’s when doctors determined there was nothing more they could do surgically.

Chlune’s father was disappointed when he learned that no surgery would take place. However, John and Suzan were adamant that Chlune would not return to Haiti in the same condition she arrived. Providing her with a better life became their focus.

“The Little Children of Jesus orphanage is a blessing beyond words for dozens of children, many who have severe physical disabilities,” said Angel Aloma, Executive Director of Food For The Poor. “The loving staff at the orphanage is giving these children the best care possible, but life in Haiti is not easy and it is especially difficult for a child who needs constant medical care. What the Driscoll family is doing for Chlune is truly a miracle for this vibrant little girl.” 

After her recovery in the hospital, a number of possibilities were explored. On Jan. 20, 2015, Chlune was admitted to the Massachusetts Hospital School in Canton, a beautiful campus that is home to 95 physically disabled children and teens. Chlune, unlike some children who have received minimal treatment for hydrocephaly, has good cognitive skills and is receiving one-on-one care from physicians, therapists, and educators.

Chlune’s father Vanel and Madame Guerre have since returned to Haiti, but not before witnessing the miraculous milestones in her young life. She can sit up longer, feed herself, and color in books. Chlune loves attending school and is even learning to speak English. Her father, who has the necessary visa to come and visit her from Haiti, is overwhelmed by the support of the Massachusetts Hospital School and the generosity of the Driscolls, who have fallen in love with his daughter.

“This has been a team effort with so many people working together to help this little girl. We can’t thank them enough,” said John Driscoll. “I have been a supporter of many causes my entire life, but to be available to help someone on a personal level is so much more gratifying than giving money.”

On Saturday, the Driscolls will make the 40-mile drive to Massachusetts Hospital School and surprise Chlune with an overnight stay at their North Reading home, where a lovely dress and shoes await her. Dr. Gerald Paul and his wife Gertrude, who befriended the Driscolls during Chlune’s stay at Boston Children’s Hospital, also are invited. 

On Sunday morning, Chlule will attend her first Easter Service in America with the Driscolls and their five grandsons, along with the Paul family, an event no one could have ever imagined one year ago.

Food For The Poor, named by The Chronicle of Philanthropy as the largest international relief and development organization in the nation, does much more than feed millions of the hungry poor in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. This interdenominational Christian ministry provides emergency relief assistance, clean water, medicines, educational materials, homes, support for orphans and the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance, with more than 95 percent of all donations going directly to programs that help the poor. For more information, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org.

Donors Build 100K Homes

Food For The Poor Surpasses 100,000 Housing Milestone

	With a new Food For The Poor home, this family in Honduras has received a second chance in life thanks to the charity's generous donors.
Related Items: Learn More about Maudiel’s Story Documentary Illustrates Housing Needs See Photos of Families in their Homes

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (March 23, 2015) – Food For The Poor’s generous donors have built more than 100,000 housing units for destitute families in the Caribbean and Latin America. The desperate living conditions of the poor inspired Food For The Poor to begin its home building initiative in 1985 in Jamaica.

Food For The Poor’s homes are well-built, safe and secure. These permanent homes not only benefit the families receiving them, but also provide much-needed work for local laborers. With the help of donors, Food For The Poor is on schedule this year to build approximately 8,000 housing units.

Food For The Poor donors constructed 7,367 housing units in 2014 and gifted them to destitute families. The greatest number of homes were built in Jamaica (2,057 housing units), Honduras (1,812), Haiti (1,774), and Nicaragua (1,594).

Special housing matches have fueled Food For The Poor’s ability to help change the dire circumstances of destitute families. Through the end of 2015, generous friends of Food For The Poor have offered to match any gift received to build homes in Nicaragua, Honduras and Jamaica. This means that every gift received to build a home in these countries will be matched dollar-for-dollar.

“The poor live in very dangerous situations and struggle with overwhelming circumstances every day,” said Robin Mahfood, Food For The Poor President/CEO. “It is difficult for many of us to imagine what it must be like to be surrounded by rain-soaked, muddy floors, and walls made of plastic on a daily basis. To escape a life of poverty, destitute families need a proper roof over their heads, clean water and sanitation.”

Click here to watch a photo documentary that illustrates the critical need for housing that exists in developing countries. 

Dilapidated shacks made of scraps of wood, metal, plastic and cardboard offer little protection from the elements, insects and rodents. As a result, illness and disease are rampant, especially among those who are most vulnerable — the young and elderly. In addition, the poor who live in these conditions are particularly devastated by natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods and hurricanes.

Last year, Food For The Poor donors built then 4-year-old Maudiel and his family a new, solid home in Nicaragua. By replacing the family’s primitive shack, which was strung together with dried palm fronds and ripped plastic tarps, Maudiel can now sleep peacefully through the night. He no longer wakes scared when the wind rattles the roof, or worries that the rain will turn the floor into mud. His new Food For The Poor house keeps him safe. Learn more about Maudiel’s story here.

In 1995, Food For The Poor-Haiti began a housing program and began building homes in Cite Soleil. Since then, 11,068 double-unit homes have been built in Haiti, 5,015 of them since the earthquake in January 2010. These sturdy homes provide the poor with shelter, safety and hope for the future.

A gift of $3,200 will build a single-unit home with sanitation; a gift of $6,400 will build a double-unit home with sanitation and a water component. In countries like Haiti, where the average household has seven members, Food For The Poor builds only double-unit homes by combining two single-unit donations.

For information regarding Food For The Poor’s home building initiative, or to support the program, please call 954-427-2222 or visit www.FoodForThePoor.org/home.

Food For The Poor, named by The Chronicle of Philanthropy as the largest international relief and development organization in the nation, does much more than feed millions of the hungry poor in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. This interdenominational Christian ministry provides emergency relief assistance, clean water, medicines, educational materials, homes, support for orphans and the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance, with more than 95 percent of all donations going directly to programs that help the poor. For more information, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org.

World Water Day

Every Child Should Have Access to Clean Water

	Dania is often sick from drinking the contaminated river water, but it is her only water source.
Related Item: Watch Dania's Search for Water

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (March 19, 2015) – Locating and maintaining a fresh water source is no easy task for the poor living in undeveloped communities throughout the world. But it’s especially difficult for children, young girls in particular, who often are assigned the task of collecting water for their families. In many cases, children must walk miles to gather water that may appear clean, but is filled with harmful and potentially deadly bacteria.

Millions around the world will be celebrating the 22nd annual World Water Day on March 22, which began in 1993 to bring attention to a different water issue every year. The 2015 theme for World Water Day is “Water and Sustainable Development.”  Water is at the core of sustainable development, reducing poverty, stimulating economic growth and environmental sustainability. 

Clean water prevents diseases and provides young girls with an opportunity to go to school and get an education.

Near the Nicaraguan town of Ocotal, located northwest of Managua, lives Dania. She’s a little girl who walks down a steep mountain every day to collect water from hand-dug watering holes near the banks of Rio Coco River. The water Dania collects is contaminated with bacteria and parasites that often make her sick, but it’s her only water source.

“Most of us would never collect water from a local canal or nearby pond for daily usage. We certainly wouldn’t drink it or give it to our children. The thought is incomprehensible, but for many throughout the Caribbean and Latin America, their water source isn’t much better,” said Angel Aloma, Executive Director of Food For The Poor. “Proper sanitation and access to clean drinking water should to be available for everyone. Food For The Poor is committed to providing the poor we serve with this precious resource.”

Since 1998, Food For The Poor has completed more than 1,943 water projects, which include wells, cisterns, tanks, distribution systems, and water treatment units throughout the Caribbean and Latin America.

To view a short video of Dania’s story, please click www.foodforthepoor.org/water.

Food For The Poor, named by The Chronicle of Philanthropy as the largest international relief and development organization in the nation, does much more than feed millions of the hungry poor in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. This interdenominational Christian ministry provides emergency relief assistance, clean water, medicines, educational materials, homes, support for orphans and the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance, with more than 95 percent of all donations going directly to programs that help the poor. For more information, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org.

Celebrating 33 Years of Service

Food For The Poor Celebrates 33 Years of Lovingly Serving the Poor

	In 2014, Food For The Poor contracted to build 33 schools. This little girl in Honduras is using one of the many computers donated to the organization. Since its inception, Food For The Poor has shipped more than 70,000 tractor-trailer loads of essential goods.
Related Items: See What Our Generous Supporters Make Possible See How We Put Your Gifts to Work

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (Feb. 11, 2015) – Thanks to loyal support from a diverse group of donors, Food For The Poor will celebrate 33 years of devoted service to the poor on Thursday, Feb. 12.

Committed to helping one person at a time, one family at a time, Food For The Poor’s core life-transforming strategies are food, housing, water and education. With its offices in Jamaica, Haiti, and Guyana, the organization is helping people in 17 countries throughout the Caribbean and Latin America to break the cycle of poverty.

“It’s very hard for many poor families to think about the future, when their primary focus is finding food, water and a safe place to sleep for the night. For more than three decades, this ministry has met many of those basic needs, but the goal of this organization is to provide families with an opportunity to become self-sustaining,” said Robin Mahfood, President/CEO of Food For The Poor. “With the help of our donors, Food For The Poor has implemented animal husbandry, agricultural and aquaculture projects, and provides technical training that is helping families to generate income and to care for their own.”

Food For The Poor started out as a feeding program in Jamaica in 1982 and is now ranked by The Chronicle of Philanthropy as the largest international charity in the United States. Through its dedicated donors, the charity has built more than 98,000 housing units, shipped more than 70,000 tractor-trailer loads filled with essential goods, completed more than 1,943 water projects, and has delivered nearly $11 billion in aid since its inception. 

Food For The Poor is also committed to helping the victims of the Haiti earthquake, which devastated the Caribbean country in January 2010. Since the tragedy in Haiti, the ministry has built 5,015 permanent two-room concrete block homes with water and sanitation components, drilled 372 water wells, which provide more than 1.1 million people with clean water each day and built or restored 35 schools in the Port-au-Prince area.

Food For The Poor is also building villages, community centers, and clinics for people in need. Click www.FoodForThePoor.org/tour to see how Food For The Poor is fulfilling its mission to save and to transform lives, while renewing hope.

Food For The Poor, named by The Chronicle of Philanthropy as the largest international relief and development organization in the nation, does much more than feed millions of the hungry poor in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. This interdenominational Christian ministry provides emergency relief assistance, clean water, medicines, educational materials, homes, support for orphans and the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance, with more than 95 percent of all donations going directly to programs that help the poor. For more information, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org.

Cheryl Ladd is an Angel

Honoree Cheryl Ladd Helps Food For The Poor Build Homes

	Food For The Poor Executive Director Angel Aloma presents Cheryl Ladd with the Ambassador For The Poor award at the Jan. 22, 2015 Fine Wines & Hidden Treasures gala.
Related Items: Donate to Build a Home See Cheryl Ladd's Trip to Haiti See Photos from the Gala and Pre-Events

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (January 27, 2015) – Food For The Poor Executive Director Angel Aloma named actress Cheryl Ladd an Ambassador For The Poor at the charity’s 12th annual Fine Wines & Hidden Treasures gala, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2015, at The Mar-a-Lago Club.

“This was the most successful Fine Wines & Hidden Treasures gala ever,” said Arlette Gordon, Gala Co-Chair.

“Cheryl Ladd is a woman of substance,” said Aloma as he introduced Ladd to the crowd of more than 175, and talked about getting to know her through her work with the charity.

Since 2011, Ladd has championed the needs of the destitute as spokesperson for Food For The Poor’s Angels Of The Poor program. During the gala’s live house rally, homes for 25 destitute families were pledged to be built in Jamaica. A generous donor has committed to match the number of homes raised.

Ladd and her husband, Brian Russell, traveled to Haiti from Jan. 20-21 with Food For The Poor representatives to see firsthand the dire situation of destitute families. The extreme poverty they saw a day before the charity’s gala was in stark contrast to the opulence of The Mar-a-Lago Club.

“I admire you for so many reasons,” said Aloma. “Especially for the many lives you have saved, and for going to Haiti. You are a woman of great faith.”

“Many times we had to stop filming because she was overwhelmed with emotion,” said Aloma. “The extreme heat from the sun beating down on the homes of plastic and metal did not deter Cheryl from entering the dirt-floor homes we visited to meet the poor. We saw many of her tears on this trip.”  

“To be in the presence of a warrior for the poor is a privilege,” said Ladd, of Aloma as he presented her with a statue of Christ as a beggar. “I know I was supposed to come and be with you tonight. I have seen what happens when you hold back death.”

Ladd’s eyes teared up as she relayed a message from one of the mothers she met while in Haiti: “You bring us so much hope, and you are an answer to our prayers. I want you to know I will be praying for you. God will speak through you to help us.”

“I hope that tonight you will open your hearts and answer the prayers of children and families living in severe poverty,” said Ladd. “Together we can bring hope and a chance for a better tomorrow for so many who fight a daily battle to survive.”

The gala was chaired by distinguished Palm Beach philanthropists Melania and Donald J. Trump (National Honorary Chairs), Patrick Park (Honorary Chair), Arlette Gordon and Elizabeth Bowden (Gala Co-Chairs), Hermé de Wyman Miro (International Chair), Mary Frances Turner (Ladies' Committee Chair) and Russell Sherrill (Gentlemen's Committee Chair).

The Fine Wines & Hidden Treasures gala opened with a superb wine-tasting reception provided by Dreyfus Ashby & Co. and Trump Winery, and culminated with a five-course gourmet dinner and wine pairing.

Live auction items included a Joseph Drouhin Beaune Clos des Mouches double magnum, signed by winemakers Laurent Drouhin and Veronique Drouhin, and by request at the gala by Gordon and Ladd – a Kaufmann de Suisse handmade 18-karat yellow gold and stainless steel callista amethyst bangle – a 12-course dinner for 25 guests prepared by Chef Ron Duprat, a star on the reality TV show “Top Chef” – and a week vacation in Italy. Additional exotic escapes, jewelry, handbags, fine wines, and golf packages were among the varied prizes in the silent auction.

The Fine Wines & Hidden Treasures 2015 committee members included Irma Anapol, Michael Cinque, Michael Dixon, Jean Dolan, Barbara Gilbert, Emilio Guerra, Lorrain and Malcolm Hall, Helene Karp, Moneca Kaufmann, Faith Morford, Michael Nadeau, Sally O’Connor, Daniella and Alfredo Ortiz, Carol Weltz, and Gail Worth.

Gala benefactors included Elizabeth Bowden, Michael Dixon, Helen Bernstein-Fealy, Arlette Gordon, Lorrain and Malcolm Hall, Helene Karp, Patrick Park (Park Foundation), Herme de Wyman Miro (The International Society of Palm Beach), Russ Reid, and UBS.

This year, members of Food For The Poor’s Fine Wines & Hidden Treasures gala committee hosted pre-event parties at two Worth Avenue stores. A percentage of the proceeds from sales at both events were donated to the gala’s house-building initiative in Jamaica. Moneca Kaufmann hosted a kickoff reception at Kaufmann de Suisse Jewelry Designers on Dec. 4, and Daniella and Alfredo Ortiz’s pre-event party at the Daniella Ortiz store on Worth Ave. on Jan. 13.

For additional information about Fine Wines & Hidden Treasures gala, please call 1-888-404-4248 or email carolc@foodforthepoor.org.

Food For The Poor, named by The Chronicle of Philanthropy as the largest international relief and development organization in the nation, does much more than feed millions of the hungry poor in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. This interdenominational Christian ministry provides emergency relief assistance, clean water, medicines, educational materials, homes, support for orphans and the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance, with more than 95 percent of all donations going directly to programs that help the poor. For more information, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org.

Longtime Donor Invests in Haiti

Boca Snowbird Invests in Sustainable Projects to Grow Haiti

	Anthony "Tony" Pestritto cut the ribbon to officially dedicate the school he built in Grand Boulage, Haiti, with Food For The Poor.
Related Items: Support the Bee Farming Program See Photos From the Haiti Trip

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (Jan. 13, 2015) – A longtime Food For The Poor donor, committed to investing in Haiti’s future, recognizes he is alive by the grace of God and feels compelled to give back to others. “I could have died many times during my life,” said Anthony ‘Tony’ Pestritto, 88, a resident of Sea Isle, New Jersey and Boca Raton, Florida. “Life is finite – you never know.”

Pestritto’s passion over the years has risen from baking old-style, authentic, Sicilian bread in South Jersey at the family’s bakery, to building schools, and investing in sustainable projects throughout Haiti.

Pestritto traveled to Grand Boulage, Haiti, with Food For The Poor representatives in the fall to dedicate a school he built to give more than 540 students the best possible education. Before his generous donation, classes were conducted in a dilapidated building that lacked furniture and only had one latrine.

“Tony Pestritto is a man of action,” said Angel Aloma, Food For The Poor's Executive Director. “By investing in the education and training of people in Haiti, he has equipped them with the knowledge necessary to escape a life of poverty. There are future doctors, lawyers, teachers, and architects at Grand Boulage School, that without Mr. Pestritto’s vision and generosity would never realize their full potential.”

“Our heart’s desire is to take Haiti’s meager education system beyond its standing prior to the earthquake, to a system that grants every child a life-changing opportunity to receive a quality education,” said Delane Bailey-Herd, Haiti Project Manager for Food For The Poor.

During the school dedication ceremony, Pestritto emphasized that the keys to achieving your dreams are the desire, strength, courage and determination to realize your goals.

“Your treasure is this building,” said Pestritto, to the hundreds of students wearing blue and white uniforms in the open-air auditorium. “You must use the treasure inside of you, the magical keys of will, effort, and determination in learning. Then what you want to be in life will be unlocked. It is here, given to you by people who care and love you.”

These same life lessons permitted Pestritto’s relatives to successfully emigrate from Italy and, with hard work, steadily grow a business. The American way of life, and the way the bakery did business dramatically changed in 1942 with the start of World War II.  

Like other Americans, his brothers were drafted to fight, and Pestritto served in the Navy for a year before he was discharged.

“During World War II, because we were feeding the world with 16 million troops overseas, cities allowed victory gardens,” said Pestritto. “We always had fresh produce. I want to see that in Haiti.”

In September 2014, Pestritto invested in an agricultural project in the community of La Rochiquite, in Hinche, Haiti, to improve the productivity of small-scale farmers. The farmers have been provided oxen, plows, and agricultural irrigation pumps to help produce fields of corn, tomato, green pepper, and eggplant. The community’s proximity to the Guayamouc River helps with the irrigation of the gardens.

Pestritto and his late second wife, Agnes, also chose to invest in the training of 130 bee farmers with Food For The Poor in Central Plateau, Haiti. The farmers received training and supplies to start their operation.

“I am elated about this project,” said Pestritto. “I want milk and honey to flow all over the island. I want to see it happen one day. I want to see it grow.”

Pestritto and his first wife, Rose, were first inspired to donate to Food For The Poor after they heard a speaker at a church in Margate, Fla., who was from their parish in New Jersey. Intent on honoring her memory, Pestritto built Rosie’s Kitchen in 1999 with Food For The Poor to provide low-cost meals to factory workers in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

Food For The Poor, named by The Chronicle of Philanthropy as the largest international relief and development organization in the nation, does much more than feed millions of the hungry poor in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. This interdenominational Christian ministry provides emergency relief assistance, clean water, medicines, educational materials, homes, support for orphans and the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance, with more than 95 percent of all donations going directly to programs that help the poor. For more information, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org.

Christmas Special

Food For The Poor Releases Nonviolent Prisoners in Jamaica, Guyana, Haiti and Honduras

	Seventeen prisoners were released from St. Catherine Adult Correctional Centre in Spanish Town, Jamaica, on Dec. 10.
Related Item: Photos from Prisoner Releases in Jamaica and Guyana

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (Dec. 22, 2014) – Food For The Poor has released 68 prisoners who have committed nonviolent offenses in Jamaica, Guyana, Haiti and Honduras in time to spend Christmas with their families. The nonviolent prisoners were incarcerated due to their inability to pay required fines.

“There are large numbers of desperate people who are locked in jail that have been forgotten because they stole whatever they could to try to feed their hungry families,” said Robin Mahfood, Food For The Poor’s President/CEO. “It is a serious situation. The Gospel message strengthens and reminds us to give a hand up to others who dwell in darkness.”

Seventeen prisoners were released from St. Catherine Adult Correctional Centre in Spanish Town, Jamaica, on Dec. 10. One of the inmates was a 45-year-old barber from Kingston, Jamaica. On Dec. 9, bailiffs took him from his shop because he had breached the Debtors Act, an offense that warrants 14 days in prison. As a barber, and the father of three, he found it difficult to continue to pay the back-log in rent when his business slowed. One of his last payments was made in November.

“It happened so quickly, I was not even allowed to call or talk to anyone,” said the inmate. “When I came here, I begged an officer for a call and contacted my wife and explained the situation. I begged her not to tell my children, especially my daughter in high school, because it would devastate her.

“I prayed the whole night because I am the breadwinner for the family and I didn’t know what was going to happen to them. I said ‘God, is this a trial that You are putting me through to make me develop, or is this a way to teach me a lesson? I know You are real, and You have never failed me yet’.”

Call it a Christmas miracle, but by morning the inmate’s prayer had been answered. Food For The Poor’s Prison Ministry team had intervened and paid the nonviolent prisoners’ outstanding fines, granting them an early release. 

“People ask how I am so lucky, but I know God is powerful. I know He answered my prayer by sending angels this morning,” said the inmate. “I know that God was going to take care of me. Water came to my eyes this morning in the chapel when the gentlemen from Food For The Poor said that we must give the gift of forgiveness to our enemies and that is what I plan to do.” 

On Dec. 16, nine nonviolent prisoners were offered second chances when they were released from three prisons in Guyana. One of the prisoners celebrated his 42nd birthday the same day he was unexpectedly released from prison.

“I am very thankful and grateful to Food For The Poor,” said the inmate, who plans to return to work as a welder. “It is a blessing to me since today is my birthday. I wish you all the best. God bless you all. It was a pleasant surprise to me.”

In developing countries, the destitute sometimes have no way to feed their families other than to steal food. The consequence often is imprisonment, without first appearing before a judge, or receiving a prison sentence.

Prison conditions are drastically worse in developing countries than they are in the United States. Overcrowded prisons are common, and perpetuate the spread of disease and violence. The potential spread of cholera in Haiti’s prisons remains a concern.

Twice a year – during the Christmas and Easter seasons – it is a Food For The Poor tradition to release nonviolent inmates who have been incarcerated due to their inability to pay the required fines for committing minor offenses.

Since the inception of Food For The Poor’s Prison Ministry Program in 1998, the charity has assisted in freeing, training and reintroducing prisoners back into the community as productive citizens.

Food For The Poor’s Prison Ministry Program is based on the scripture, “…I was in prison and you visited me,” (Matthew 25: 36b).

To support Food For The Poor’s Prison Ministry Program, checks payable to Food For The Poor can be mailed to 6401 Lyons Road, Coconut Creek, Fla. 33073. Please include reference number “SC# 74122” to ensure your donation is correctly routed.

Food For The Poor, named by The Chronicle of Philanthropy as the largest international relief and development organization in the nation, does much more than feed millions of the hungry poor in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. This interdenominational Christian ministry provides emergency relief assistance, clean water, medicines, educational materials, homes, support for orphans and the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance, with more than 95 percent of all donations going directly to programs that help the poor. For more information, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org.

Haiti Clinic Revived

Rockford Residents Celebrate the Expansion of Their Biggest Village Yet in Haiti

	Andy and Florette Sokulski want to save as many lives as possible and have extended the fundraising for Food For The Poor’s Our Lady Of The Poor Medical Clinic in honor of their daughter, Julie Sokulski Hesser.
Related Item: Email Your Support of the Clinic

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (Sept. 29, 2014) — Nine months of operational costs at Food For The Poor’s Our Lady Of The Poor Medical Clinic at the Bernard Mevs Hospital, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, will be covered, thanks to a Chicago couple intent on honoring the memory of their daughter. The Sept. 10 fundraiser in Streamwood, Illinois, was the ninth year the couple has gathered generous friends to help the poor.

Dedicated to saving as many lives as possible, Andy and Florette Sokulski have asked that fundraising in honor of their daughter, Julie Sokulski Hesser, be extended through the end of the year.

Food For The Poor Executive Director Angel Aloma and Food For The Poor Haiti Project Manager Delane Bailey-Herd spoke at the event and thanked attendees for their support.

“The compassion you show tonight will save lives,” said Aloma. “The majority of the clinic’s beneficiaries live in makeshift shacks, and struggle to earn a living. When the poor come to Our Lady Of The Poor Medical Clinic, they have full assurance that they will receive superior quality medical treatment.”

Thousands of patients benefit from and rely on the lifesaving medical services offered at this Food For The Poor sponsored clinic. The clinic’s AIDS Pediatric Care Center provides the poor with quality outpatient services, emergency treatment, diagnostic services through its state-of-the–art laboratory, surgical procedures, pharmaceutical products, and long-term chronic disease management.

“The lifesaving treatment patients receive at Food For The Poor’s Our Lady Of The Poor Medical Clinic is transformational,” said Bailey-Herd. “The clinic is an oasis and safe haven for babies that are born with malformations and need immediate medical attention. Here, they are loved and cared for, and given second chances.”

Since 2011, event proceeds have been used to modernize the Haiti hospital by building operating and recovery rooms, and purchasing new equipment. In 2012, Andy and Florette traveled to the Bernard Mevs Hospital to meet the hospital’s surgeons, and to see how patients benefited from their projects. Share in the Sokulski’s experience by watching their video at www.foodforthepoor.org/julie.

To make a donation to help cover the clinic’s monthly operational costs, please call 888-404-4248 or email carolc@foodforthepoor.com.

“When we face struggles, anxieties, joys and sorrows in our lives, it is good to know God has sent us help, and good people to laugh, support and have some fun as well,” said Florette Sokulski. “So much in this world is temporary, but friendships founded in Christ can be a lovely source of comfort and joy.”

When Andy and Florette lost their daughter at the age of 32, they were inspired to help others by Julie Sokulski Hesser’s strength, faith and courage during her final days. They began raising money in 2006 with Father Medard Laz and members of the Holy Family Catholic Community in Inverness, Ill., to create a living legacy in honor of their daughter through Food For The Poor projects.

Food For The Poor, named by The Chronicle of Philanthropy as the largest international relief and development organization in the nation, does much more than feed millions of the hungry poor in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. This interdenominational Christian ministry provides emergency relief assistance, clean water, medicines, educational materials, homes, support for orphans and the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance, with more than 95 percent of all donations going directly to programs that help the poor. For more information, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org.

Fish4Hope Reception

Fish4Hope Cocktail Reception to Fund Aquaculture in Haiti

	Proceeds from the 2014 Celebration of Hope cocktail reception will be used to support Fish4Hope’s second aquaculture project in partnership with Food For The Poor in Haiti.
Related Item: Support the Fish4Hope project

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (Sept. 9, 2014) – Fish4Hope, in collaboration with Food For The Poor, will host its first Celebration of Hope cocktail reception on Saturday, Oct. 25 at the Arlington Arts Center, 3550 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, Virginia, 22201.

The cocktail reception will feature an open bar, with a DJ and live music. Hors d’oeuvres prepared by the chefs at The Green Spoon will be served. The award-winning restaurant is known for its commitment to using local sustainable food sources. The event also will premiere Christopher Gabello Photography's Fish4Hope short film, and offer exclusive photography of Haiti from Studio Saldana in its silent auction.

For additional information regarding Celebration of Hope, tickets, and advocacy levels, please call  888-404-4248. Proceeds from the 2014 Celebration of Hope cocktail reception will be used to support Fish4Hope’s second aquaculture project in partnership with Food For The Poor in Haiti.

Vin Lam and Tu Le first became involved with Food For The Poor when they traveled to Haiti on a mission trip in February 2012.

“When we first went to Haiti we thought that we would be the ones ministering to others, but we were so wrong,” said Le, Co-Founder of Fish4Hope. “The people of Haiti opened our eyes up to so much; we learned tremendously about love, gratitude, and happiness from them. We were humbled.

“When we returned, we wanted to find a way to express our gratitude for what we had learned from our brothers and sisters in Haiti,” said Le.

In 2013, Fish4Hope became a reality. The new organization’s first project was to raise money to build an aquaculture project, along with safe, permanent Food For The Poor homes for destitute families in Perest, Haiti.

Lam and Le returned to Haiti in February 2013, to dedicate the Food For The Poor village that consists of four aquaculture ponds and homes for 15 families. Wearing bright turquoise Fish4Hope T-shirts that read “Take action, serve, and inspire,” the group walked into the village of Perest, as enthusiastic residents clapped and chanted songs of gratitude.

“We hope that these houses and these ponds will help build your future for a better life,” said Vin Lam, Co-Founder of Fish4Hope, during the village inauguration ceremony. “So, together, let us Fish4Hope.”

Lam and Le were inspired to build the Food For The Poor village by the adage: Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; show him how to catch fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.

Food For The Poor, named by The Chronicle of Philanthropy as the largest international relief and development organization in the nation, does much more than feed millions of the hungry poor in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. This interdenominational Christian ministry provides emergency relief assistance, clean water, medicines, educational materials, homes, support for orphans and the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance, with more than 95 percent of all donations going directly to programs that help the poor. For more information, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org.

A Legacy of Hope

Loss of a Child Inspires Legacy of Hope in Haiti

	(L to R) Food For The Poor President/CEO Robin Mahfood, Paul O'Connor, Florette Sokulski. Remembering how Julie could not even swallow water at the end of her life, her parents wanted proceeds from a past benefit dinner to provide clean water to children in Haiti.
Related Item: Contact Carol to Support the Hospital

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (Aug. 12, 2014) — A Chicago couple committed to preserving the memory of their late daughter is encouraging others to help raise money to improve the lives of the destitute through Food For The Poor.

The ninth annual benefit dinner established to celebrate the life of Julie Sokulski Hesser will be Wednesday, Sept. 10 at The Seville Banquet Hall, 700 S. Barrington Road, Streamwood, Illinois.  Proceeds from this year’s event will be used to cover the monthly operating costs of Bernard Mevs Clinic in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

“Julie was resilient, and she was tough – like the Haitian people,” said Florette Sokulski, outside the pastel orange and green Haiti hospital in 2012. “Even in her worst, painful days, and those lasted about seven years, she would always say, ‘I just want to help somebody.’ And now I see how she is helping.”

When Andy and Florette lost their beloved daughter at the age of 32, they were inspired to help others by Julie’s strength, faith and courage during her final days. They began raising money in 2006 with Father Medard Laz and members of the Holy Family Catholic Community in Inverness, Illinois, to create a living legacy in honor of their daughter through Food For The Poor projects.

Since 2011, proceeds from the fundraiser in Streamwood have been used to modernize the Haiti hospital by building operating and recovery rooms, and purchasing new equipment.

“This is the best we have now in Haiti,” said Dr. Jerry Bitar to Julie’s parents. “I want to say first thank you for what you do. Not for us but for the poor people in Haiti.”

The Bernard Mevs Clinic’s Pediatric Care Center provides the desperately poor with quality outpatient services, emergency treatment, laboratory diagnostic services, surgical procedures, medications, and long-term chronic disease management. The clinic also offers services and resources that promote prevention and wellness care among women and children affected by HIV/AIDS. Through educational awareness programs, the hospital makes heathier lifestyles available to patients and the community at large.

“By serving the poorest of the poor, they are saving lives,” said Angel Aloma, Food For The Poor’s Executive Director. “The poor need all types of surgeries, and if it weren’t for the doctors and the staff at the Brevard Mevs Hospital they would be sentenced to simply die at home. They cannot afford to go to a private hospital or to pay anything at all. So they come here with full assurance that they are getting superior quality medical treatment.”

Aloma is the evening’s keynote speaker. Master of ceremonies for this year’s benefit dinner is former WGN Radio newsman Lyle Dean. The evening also will feature a silent auction and dinner with friends and members of the surrounding communities. Bidding on silent auction prizes will offer opportunities for guests to shop and support the cause.

For additional information about sponsorship opportunities and tickets, please call 888-404-4248 or email carolc@foodforthepoor.com.

“The loss of a child is written in the heart in indelible ink,” said Aloma. “But by doing something like this, it brings new life into the world. It really honors the person who has gone to the Lord, and it really gives comfort to the parents to know that their loved one’s passing has brought hope and life to so many others in her name.”

Food For The Poor, named by The Chronicle of Philanthropy as the largest international relief and development organization in the nation, does much more than feed millions of the hungry poor in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. This interdenominational Christian ministry provides emergency relief assistance, clean water, medicines, educational materials, homes, support for orphans and the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance, with more than 95 percent of all donations going directly to programs that help the poor. For more information, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org.

Pope Francis Village

Rockford Residents Poised to Build
Their Biggest Village Yet in Haiti

	Jeff Lemke traveled from his hometown of Cary, Illinois, to Dumas, Haiti, to meet the residents who will directly benefit from the proceeds raised at this year's annual gala.
Related Items: Reserve Your Seat

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (Aug. 8, 2014) – The Hope for Haitians Board and Food For The Poor invite you to attend the 13th annual An Evening in the Tropics, Saturday, Sept. 6 at Giovanni’s Restaurant & Convention Center, 610 N. Bell School Road, Rockford, Illinois.

The Hope for Haitians Board has set an ambitious goal for participants of An Evening in the Tropics gala supporters. This year’s proposal includes building new homes for 90 families in Dumas, Haiti, complete with kitchenettes, latrines, and solar lanterns. The village will be named the Pope Francis Friendship Village. Additionally, the planned community center and a cassava bakery will be available to the more than 1,500 residents who reside in the area. The Association For The Development of Dumas (ADD) will assist farmers in marketing and selling the products produced at this facility. 

“So many of the faithful gave up more than chocolate this past Lent,” said Tom Lorden, a Founding Trustee of the Hope for Haitians Board of Directors. “Their sacrificial giving is allowing Hope for Haitians to help more families than ever.” 

Ten residents from the Rockford/Chicago area traveled to Haiti February 24-27 with Food For The Poor, to meet the destitute families in Dumas that are relying on them to make this year’s An Evening in the Tropics gala a success.

Two of the travelers, Pat Bachrodt and Greg McQueary, also are members of the Hope for Haitians Board.

“It was certainly one of the most memorable few days of my life,” said McQueary. “I have already taken steps in an effort to find additional contributions.”

Additional members of the Hope for Haitians Board include: the Rev. David Beauvais, Virginia Canavan, William Clancy, Patti Cottrell, Michael Delany, Bill Kalma, Danny Lorden, Tom and Nancy Lorden, Bob McLaughlin, Philip Nicolosi, Patti Rangel, Peter Roche, Andy Schultheis, and the Rev. Geoff Wirth.

Master of ceremonies for this year’s An Evening in the Tropics is veteran broadcast journalist Mike Robinson. The evening also will feature a cocktail reception, silent auction, and formal dinner with friends and members of the surrounding communities. Bidding on silent auction prizes such as electronics, jewelry, vacations, golf and dining packages offer opportunities for guests to shop and support the cause.

The Most Reverend David J. Malloy, the ninth Catholic Bishop of Rockford, will deliver the invocation.

For additional information about sponsorship opportunities and tickets, please call 1-888-404-4248 or visit www.FoodForThePoor.org/rockford.

Travelers on the February trip to Haiti included Pat Bachrodt, Colin Gregory, Justin Kegley, Jeff Lemke, Greg McQueary, Pat Meyer, Sr. Rita Mary Ann Phalen, Miguel “Mike” Saltijeral, Jr., Rev. Tim Seigel, and the Rev. John “Steve” Stephen St. Jules.

Food For The Poor, named by The Chronicle of Philanthropy as the largest international relief and development organization in the nation, does much more than feed millions of the hungry poor in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. This interdenominational Christian ministry provides emergency relief assistance, clean water, medicines, educational materials, homes, support for orphans and the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance, with more than 95 percent of all donations going directly to programs that help the poor. For more information, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org.

Man to Walk 500 Miles

Texas Man to Walk 500 Miles for the Poor

	Patrick Hall (24), Maura Hall (23), and Conor Hall (24), left to right, have decided to join their father for his 500-mile journey along the Camino de Santiago in northern Spain. Funds raised will benefit Food For The Poor and two other charities.
Related Item: Pledge a Donation

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (August 5, 2014) – With much faith and a desire to raise awareness about the needs of those who are often forgotten, Thomas Hall is preparing to embark on the challenge of a lifetime. Beginning on the first week of September, Hall will begin a 500-mile walk along the Camino de Santiago, an ancient Christian pilgrimage route in northern Spain.
 
The inspiration for his walk began many years ago when Hall, 15 at the time, was grieving the loss of his father, who had died from cancer at the age of 61. Struggling to cope, Hall decided to join some of his high school friends on a retreat to learn about a fundraiser sponsored by the American Freedom from Hunger Foundation.

Inspired, they decided to participate in a 26-mile walkathon the following year. The walk was part of a nationally coordinated event in which more than 150,000 people participated, walking over 2 million miles and raising more than $1 million dollars to fight hunger.

“The walk was always important to me because it was the first step in a larger transition that included learning how to channel my grief into something meaningful,” said Hall.

Now, decades later, Hall experienced the same itch to walk again. Hall will not be walking alone, however. Three of his four children, twin sons Patrick and Conor, age 24, and daughter Maura, age 23, have decided to join him on his 500-mile journey. They will celebrate his 60th birthday along the way.

“My father has dreamed about walking the Camino for a long time now,” said Conor Hall. “He has always supported my dreams, no matter how crazy they seemed, and now I get to reciprocate and help him in going after his.”

With The Leo J. Dowd Foundation pledging to match the first $5,000 raised, Hall hopes to raise $30,000 in pledges by Aug. 15. The money raised will be donated to Food For The Poor and two other charities. Inspired by Food For The Poor’s mission to bring clean water to those in need, Hall hopes to raise enough money to build two water wells that could provide water to more than 8,000 people in Haiti.

“When we learned about Mr. Hall’s mission we were moved by his compassionate desire to raise awareness about the needs of the truly destitute,” said Angel Aloma, Executive Director of Food For The Poor. “The fact that he will be walking 500 miles to provide clean water for those who have to walk miles every day in search of water, which is often contaminated, is truly amazing. On behalf of the people we serve, we want to sincerely thank Mr. Hall for his generosity.”

To help Hall reach his fundraising goal to bring water to those in need, visit www.FoodForThePoor.org/camino  or http://pilgrimspurpose.weebly.com/ to make a secure donation.

Food For The Poor, named by The Chronicle of Philanthropy as the largest international relief and development organization in the nation, does much more than feed millions of the hungry poor in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. This interdenominational Christian ministry provides emergency relief assistance, clean water, medicines, educational materials, homes, support for orphans and the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance, with more than 95 percent of all donations going directly to programs that help the poor. For more information, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org.

Honduras Fishing Village

Food For The Poor Creates Fishing Villages Along Honduras Coast

	Fishing is the primary source of income for hundreds of families living in the coastal communities of Omoa and Puerto Cortes, Honduras. Food For The Poor soon will replace rickety wooden boats and makeshift poles with fiberglass fishing boats with engines, modern fishing tackle, and safety equipment.
Related Item: See Photos of the Rickety Boats

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (July 10, 2014) – Omoa and Puerto Cortes, two coastal communities less than 10 miles apart along the Caribbean side of Honduras, have been selected by Food For The Poor as the sites for its first fishing villages in Latin America. The charity selected these small towns after learning about the overwhelming need there, and the cooperative reputation of their fishermen.

For generations, fishing has been the primary source of income for many of the families in the region. But rickety wooden boats and makeshift equipment are threatening the fishermen’s livelihoods and the health of their children, whose primary source of protein is fish. With hopes of a more lucrative catch, the fishermen fell into the rut of renting bigger boats and spending more of their already-limited income, making it very difficult to support their families.

“Food For The Poor is very excited about the establishment of these fishing villages in Honduras. The fishermen within these communities will have their own boats to share and their own equipment to safely navigate the deeper and more bountiful waters of the Caribbean,” said Robin Mahfood, President/CEO of Food For The Poor. “There are currently 16 fishing villages in operation in Jamaica and 42 in Haiti. We see the benefit of these projects in those countries, and thanks to the support of our donors; we believe the result will be the same in Honduras.”

Food For The Poor donors have agreed to provide one dozen 25-foot fiberglass fishing boats with engines for three fishing villages, two in Omoa and one in Puerto Cortes. Each fishing village will receive four boats, which will be shared by a team of 16 to 28 fishermen. All the fishermen will receive engine maintenance training. In addition to the boats and motors, the villages will be equipped with coolers and freezers, locking storage sheds, fishing tackle and safety equipment.

Instead of catching fingerlings from the reef, the fishermen will be trained in deep-sea fishing techniques that will best protect the marine environment. The fishermen also will learn how to catch mahi-mahi, yellow-tail snapper, tuna, and kingfish. These deep-sea fish can then be sold to markets, hotels and restaurants in San Pedro Sula, Honduras’ second largest city. The teams will be required to donate a portion of their catch to organizations within their own communities that help orphans, the elderly and the sick.

“Our goal has never been, nor will it ever be, to rule over people’s lives; we are simply putting faith into action. By providing individuals in the countries we serve with an opportunity to get out of poverty, we’re not giving people fish, but teaching them how to fish,” said Mahfood.

Food For The Poor began serving in Honduras in 1999, one year after the Central American country was slammed by Hurricane Mitch in 1998. The charity works very closely with its partner CEPUDO (Capacitación, Educación, Producción, Unificación, Desarrollo y Organización), which is based in San Pedro Sula, in order to reach those in need throughout the country.

Food For The Poor, named by The Chronicle of Philanthropy as the largest international relief and development organization in the nation, does much more than feed millions of the hungry poor in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. This interdenominational Christian ministry provides emergency relief assistance, clean water, medicines, educational materials, homes, support for orphans and the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance, with more than 95 percent of all donations going directly to programs that help the poor. For more information, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org.

Rice for Haiti

Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Donates Rice to Food For The Poor

	At Food For The Poor's feeding center in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, 15,000 life-saving meals a day are provided to hungry families six days a week. The charity also distributes food to schools and other partner organizations for feeding programs throughout Haiti.

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (June 19, 2014) – Forty trailer loads of rice are en route to Haiti from the ports of Taipei, thanks to the kindness of Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This first shipment is part of 2,400 metric tons of rice that will be received and distributed in three installments by Food For The Poor.

Food For The Poor and Taiwan have partnered since 2005 to positively impact the lives of the poor. The three separate shipments of 800 metric tons of rice each translates into more than 21 million generous servings of rice for the hungry. Taiwan’s rice donations are critical, as food costs continue to rise globally due to floods, droughts, and crop failures. Taiwan's new ambassador to Haiti, Tsai-Chiu “Peter” Hwang, was instrumental in securing the donation of rice on behalf of Food For The Poor.

“Taiwan has been a tremendous partner, consistently providing life-saving food for hundreds of thousands people in Haiti for many years,” said Robin Mahfood, President/CEO of Food For The Poor. “We are so very thankful to receive this bountiful blessing on behalf of the poor that we serve. The life-saving food will nurture children and their families, as they continue to rebuild their country.”

Last year, Philip T.Y. Wang replaced Ray Mou as Director General of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Miami.

Food For The Poor, named by The Chronicle of Philanthropy as the largest international relief and development organization in the nation, does much more than feed millions of the hungry poor in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. This interdenominational Christian ministry provides emergency relief assistance, clean water, medicines, educational materials, homes, support for orphans and the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance, with more than 95 percent of all donations going directly to programs that help the poor. For more information, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org.

Celebrating service

Three Countries, Three Anniversaries All in One Month

	A girl at an orphanage in Guyana holds one of the chickens used in a self-sustaining development program.
Related Item: See What You Made Possible

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (June 18, 2014) – Food For The Poor is celebrating decades of dedicated service in the countries of Jamaica, Haiti and Guyana in the month of June. The organization, which was founded in 1982, now includes more than 5,000 churches and institutions as partners in the distribution of food, medicine, educational supplies and other needed items.

Thirty-two years ago today, Jamaica became the first country to receive assistance from the relief and development organization. The Food For The Poor-Jamaica office and warehouse complex are located in Spanish Town at the intersection of five highways, which lead to all parts of the island. Food For The Poor has completed more than 250 projects in Jamaica over the past five years, and continues to replace dilapidated shacks with permanent housing. In 2013, Food For The Poor, through the generosity of donors, constructed 2,456 housing units throughout the country. Since inception, the charity has built 37,340 housing units island-wide.

“Thousands of people remain on a waiting list to receive Food For The Poor housing across Jamaica. This organization will continue to help as many people as possible by focusing on one family at a time. This is the only way to approach the situation, if not, then it would become overwhelming,” said Robin Mahfood, President and CEO of Food For The Poor. “Housing, education and self-sustaining projects are major areas of focus, with the goal of meeting the immediate needs of the truly destitute, and ultimately helping the poor to rise out of poverty.”

It was the plea for help from the poorest of the poor living in inhumane conditions in Cite Soleil, located in the capital of Port-au-Prince, which turned Food For The Poor’s heart toward Haiti in 1986. This long-established presence allowed the organization to respond immediately when the Jan. 12, 2010 earthquake devastated the country. The same rapid response the charity mobilized during the earthquake crisis was activated when news of the October 2010 cholera outbreak reached Food For The Poor. Now the organization has once again stepped in to help on the heels of another potential outbreak – the Chikungunya virus.

“This virus or ‘the fever’ that’s being transmitted by mosquitoes is spreading fast, and now that the rainy season is here, it is on the verge of becoming an epidemic,” said Mahfood. “The Food For The Poor-Haiti office made an urgent request for medicine in May, and more than 8,000 boxes and bottles making up seven pallets have been shipped. Food For The Poor will continue to monitor the situation and will work on securing more medicines as needed.”

There also are dozens of ongoing Food For The Poor supported projects in Haiti. These projects include: aquaculture, animal husbandry, agricultural, orphan-support,  housing and sanitation, community development, water improvement, school construction and support, feeding programs, fishing villages, alternative energy, and medical initiatives.

Since the 2010 earthquake a total of 4,605 two-room homes have been constructed in Haiti. Clean water also is a critical need in the Caribbean country. Food For The Poor installed 121 water wells in 2013, and with the help of Water Missions International, has installed a total of 78 water filtration units, plus three chlorinators since 2010. Each unit purifies and chlorinates up to 10,000 gallons of water a day. 

Twenty-three years ago this month, Food For The Poor began working in Guyana, delivering food and other basic items to Guyana’s poor. Since then, the South Florida-based nonprofit has expanded its services to meet the growing needs of the country’s impoverished residents. It is now the leading organization providing relief to the people of Guyana.

In 2012, the organization constructed the Hosanna Village in the community of Mashabo, Essequibo Coast, and started the construction of 40 homes and a water project for the Swan Village located close to the Soesdyke Highway.  Last year, work continued on the development of the Swan Village, with 25 additional homes and a community center.

This year, an ambitious project has stretched to build a village in an extremely remote area in the northwestern part of the country. When completed, the village will have 40 homes, a community center and a renovated and expanded primary school. Food For The Poor has delivered more than 900 computer workstations to the South American country, and built 3,134 housing units in Guyana to date.

“When you add it all up, there’s a total of more than 82 years of combined dedicated service between these three countries. Words cannot express the gratitude we have toward the Food For The Poor staff, the donors and most importantly for our heavenly Father, who has opened up the floodgates of heaven onto this organization so that we can help others,” said Mahfood.

Food For The Poor, named by The Chronicle of Philanthropy as the largest international relief and development organization in the nation, does much more than feed millions of the hungry poor in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. This interdenominational Christian ministry provides emergency relief assistance, clean water, medicines, educational materials, homes, support for orphans and the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance, with more than 95 percent of all donations going directly to programs that help the poor. For more information, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org.

Haiti village for Fr. Martin

Virginia Parish Builds 10th Haiti Village in Honor of Beloved Priest

	Fr. Richard Martin's nephew, Eric Martin, shown here with baby, Grayson, and wife, Nicole, attended the celebration of life for the priest at Food For The Poor headquarters in Coconut Creek, Fla. Others, from left, are donors Tu Le and Vincent Lam, President/CEO Robin Mahfood, Food For The Poor Projects Specialist Jim McDaniel, and Fr. Bill Korpi of Nativity Parish. Photo/Food For The Poor

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (June 11, 2014) –Food For The Poor President/CEO Robin Mahfood accepted a donation today from Church of the Nativity in Burke, Virginia, that will build an entire village near Grand Boulage, Haiti. The village will be the 10th built by Nativity and it will be named Good Shepherd Village in memory of Fr. Richard Martin, who worked with the charity for 16 years through Operation Starfish.

The check was presented at a celebration of life service for Fr. Martin, who died in May at the age of 74. He had traveled to Haiti many times with Food For The Poor, helping thousands of Haitian citizens have a better life. Staff members remembered him through songs, scripture readings and stories.

“When I first met Dick in 2000, he said, ‘You know, we will have a long road to work together.’ He told me he would pray for me, and I said I would pray for him,” Mahfood said. “He had a real love for people, and we saw it everywhere we went with him. He understood the poor. In our lobby, we have a wall with four Servants of the Poor. The fifth is going to be Fr. Richard Martin.”

Fr. Bill Korpi, a friend of Fr. Martin’s for almost 30 years and a fellow priest at Nativity Parish, hand-delivered the donation and reminisced about his good friend, drawing laughter from those gathered to honor their friend.

“A few days after Father went home to God, I had an experience. A young woman walked into the office, almost paralyzed and trembling. Tears were pouring out of her eyes. I knew what Dick would do, so I moved out of my comfort zone, I approached her and held out my arms,” Korpi said. “He was your best friend, wasn’t he? You loved him, didn’t you? He told you he loved you, didn’t he? I told her that he had told thousands of people that – and he meant it every time!

“When thousands of people passed through to pay their respects to him at our church, I reminded the young seminarians that the crowds came not because they loved him, but because he first loved them,” Korpi said. “I reminded them they must do the same, even the ones they don’t like – especially the ones they don’t like.”

The celebration included Fr. Martin’s nephew Eric, his wife, Nicole, and their baby, Grayson. The family had decided that instead of flowers, donations should go to Operation Starfish to help the poor in Haiti. Those donations made up almost a quarter of the gift that will make possible houses for those who have had no shelter, food for those who have known only hunger, opportunities for jobs, and income for those who have had no hope.

“We were both very honored to be able to represent the Martin family today,” Eric Martin said. “It was amazing to see the number of lives that Uncle Dick touched through his work with Food For The Poor. It will be a memory that is shared for a lifetime. We will never forget the feeling of being welcomed and loved by Uncle Dick’s Food For The Poor family. A picture is worth a thousand words, but a memory…that lasts a lifetime.”

The village in Grand Boulage will be built out over the course of three years, and will combine the latest technology, construction development programs, and community development programs. The “showcase” village ultimately will contain 120 houses, solar lighting, a community center, a health clinic, agriculture projects, and a kindergarten. The residents will receive life-skills training, to ensure that they can take best advantage of all the programs offered.

Food For The Poor, named by The Chronicle of Philanthropy as the largest international relief and development organization in the nation, does much more than feed millions of the hungry poor in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. This interdenominational Christian ministry provides emergency relief assistance, clean water, medicines, educational materials, homes, support for orphans and the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance, with more than 95 percent of all donations going directly to programs that help the poor.

Haiti Hospital Gets Well

	The group visited several water projects in Grand Boulage, Haiti, that were built in partnership with Water-Life-Hope and Food For The Poor.
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COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (June 4, 2014) – Inside the pastel orange and green courtyard of the Bernard Mevs Hospital in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, the hospital’s top surgeons greeted members of Food For The Poor and Water-Life-Hope. The group traveled there to celebrate the life of a Decatur, Georgia, nurse, through the inauguration of the hospital’s new water well and cistern.

“You are more than welcome, and it is a great thing you are doing here,” said Edward Buckley, to the twin Haitian surgeons, Dr. Jerry Bitar and Dr. Marlon Bitar, who were dressed in scrubs and on their way to perform surgery.

Thanks to the generosity of Atlanta residents, the hospital now has access to clean water. Previously the hospital had to truck in clean water for the doctors and patients, and in some parts of the hospital there was no running water at all.

“It never would have occurred to me that a hospital would not have access to water,” said the Rev. Greg Tallant, the Episcopal priest at Holy Trinity Parish in Decatur.

A sign across the street from the hospital in front of the water projects reads, “… dedicated to Susan Parry, nurse and healer of many.” 

“She took care of many patients during her long career,” said Buckley, who credits Parry for organizing the best nursing staff to care for him. “She brought me back to the land of the living. I feel a huge debt of gratitude to her.”

“I felt immediately the link between her life and this project,” said Richard Parry, Susan’s husband, and parishioner at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Atlanta. “I was deeply touched.”

Like the Bitar brothers, Susan was a major voice in healthcare. During her distinguished career at DeKalb Medical Center, she served as head nurse on several floors. After a brief retirement, she returned to DeKalb Medical Center as chief nursing officer and Vice President for Patient Care Services. After finally retiring in 2005, Susan served on the board of DeKalb Medical Center, and organized the Healthcare Ministry at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in downtown Atlanta.

On December 28, 2013, Susan succumbed to the complications of a stroke suffered earlier that year.

“Susan was a consummate nurse who cared deeply about her patients, one of whom was Ed Buckley,” said Richard Parry, who is a Fuller E. Callaway Professor of Philosophy Emeritus at Agnes Scott College, in Atlanta. “She was very sensitive and responsive to the suffering of others; nothing could be more appropriate to her memory than the dedication of this project.”

On their recent May 20-23, trip to Haiti, Atlanta attorneys Buckley and Amanda Farahany posted daily blog entries and photos online, in an effort raise awareness about living conditions in the country.
“The clean running water for the hospital allows for the care from the youngest of the patients to the oldest,” blogged Farahany, a partner at Barrett & Farahany, LLP. “Bernard Mevs recently graduated Haiti’s first class of professionally trained EMTs, who are operating Haiti’s only coordinated rescue service from the hospital in ambulances donated by the City of Miami Beach.”

Travelers included Melissa Barrett (student at Case Western Reserve University School of Law in Cleveland, Ohio), Benjamin Francis Barrett III (student at Georgia State University in Atlanta), Edward Buckley (Decatur), the Rev. William Thomas Deneke (Decatur), Amanda Farahany (Atlanta), the Rev. George Maxwell Jr. (Atlanta), and the Rev. Greg Tallant (Avondale). 
The group also visited several potential water project sites for Water-Life-Hope and Food For The Poor’s 2014 Dreams Across The Sea. 

“For it is our belief that the right to clean drinking water is the most fundamental of human rights, for without clean drinking water we cannot fully exercise our other God-given rights,” said Buckley, President of Water-Life-Hope and Dreams Across The Sea committee member. “For example, a child can’t enjoy her right to education with parasites roiling in her belly because she does not have clean drinking water.”  

Food For The Poor Executive Director Angel Aloma traveled to Haiti with Buckley and the group.

“We are so grateful for what Ed has done, because not only has he worked tirelessly, even through illness, he has been a catalyst to inspire others to help bring clean water to Haiti,” Aloma said. “Witnessing firsthand the work he has accomplished in that country is something I won’t forget.”

Food For The Poor’s 7th annual Caribbean-themed Dreams Across The Sea, presented by The InterContinental Buckhead Atlanta in Atlanta, Ga., will be Friday, Oct. 24. Paul Goodloe, a meteorologist for The Weather Channel, will serve as master of ceremonies. The event will feature a cocktail reception with passed hors d'oeuvres and a coffee and dessert bar, live music, dancing, a silent auction and giveaways.
For additional information, or to purchase tickets, please call, 1-888-404-4248, or visit www.FoodForThePoor.org/atlanta.

Dreams Across The Sea Co-Chairmen are Chris Curry and Saurel Quettan. Additional committee members include Dr. Paula Nelson Adesokan, Scott and Kari Bardowell, Raymond Bazile, Verlyn Britton, Edward Bruno-Gaston, Edward Buckley, Renee Corey-Lubin, Rev. Lebon Faustin, Gina Fraiser, Nekeidra Frederick, Jean Hanges, Michele Jean, Loveless Johnson III, Pascale Jones, Sylvia McClure, Nnena Nchege, Dr. Jason Regis, and Garvin Stewart.

Food For The Poor, named by The Chronicle of Philanthropy as the largest international relief and development organization in the nation, does much more than feed millions of the hungry poor in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. This interdenominational Christian ministry provides emergency relief assistance, clean water, medicines, educational materials, homes, support for orphans and the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance, with more than 95 percent of all donations going directly to programs that help the poor. For more information, please visit www.FoodForThePoor.org.